Tavira has some great beaches. In the area of Tavira are at least six main beaches, some on main coast, some on the Ria Formosa islands.

The Tavira coast is at the Eastern end of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, which is a series of barrier islands, some of which are inhabited. It is a beautiful area, with fantastic beaches which are flat and spread as far as the eye can see.

From West to East starting with:

Praia Barril – just on the edge of the village of Santa Luzia, near Pedras D’el Rei touristic complex. It is situated on one of the Islands and can be acccessed by a small train or by walking the mile or so to the beach. The beach facilities are located in a converted tuna fishing village. It is quite picturesque beach with the unique addition of a ‘anchor graveyard’ a throwback from the golden and prosperous age of Tuna fishing.

Ilha Tavira – this is the main beach from Tavira town, huge numbers of people and campers visit this site daily from the town by boat. There is a large, well-equipped campsite here just a couple of hundred metres from the beach and plenty of bars and restaurants. The beach is large and stretches for miles, where you can walk from one beach to another along the expanse of the Island.

Ilha Cabanas – another island beach, accessible from Cabanas village by small boat. This is another popular one but smaller than Ilha Tavira, they have a couple of restaurants and facilities on the beach with concessions.

Fabrica – this is a hidden treasure which I only found last year, quite by accident. It is not one of the popular ones but is growing in popularity. I think this was probably a ‘locals beach’ but now has been discovered. It is situated in a tiny ‘village’ off a country lane. But this is a unique beach, it can be accessed by local boat but most people actually just wade across (at the right tide) to the beach. There are no facilities but it is gorgeous, like something out of the caribbean. There is a restaurant near the water, where they do great seafood, which again is not very advertised but very busy.

Manta Rota – my personal favourite and most frequented by us. This is the first beach which can be accessed directly. Situated in a small resort town with good facilities, it was given a facelift about 4 years ago and is very nice.

Last but not least

Praia Verde – this beach is situated at the bottom of a hill with good access. Good beach for children with shallow waters and some facilities. Lovely place to come for dinner as well! Not overly crowded.

These are the main Tavira beaches, there are other small, local ones and of course, the ‘Ria beaches’, the beaches found on the banks of the interior of the ‘Ria Islands.’